Search - Sleepy Eyes of Death: Collector's Set, Vol. 1 on DVD

Highly Recommended for Samurai Fans!

D. L. Haynes | Omaha, NE USA | 05/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been writing to this company for years asking them to pick up this property again and they finally did! So you can thank me for this juicy bit of Samurai Cinema. These films are wonderful and I would recommend them for anybody (over the age of 18) who loves "Zatoichi" or any other Samurai film or series such as "Lone Wolf and Cub." Purposeful plots and fun fight scenes splatter across the screen in these first four films of Nemuri Kyoshiro, the Son of the Black Mass, as he roams the streets of Edo or the countryside of fuedal Japan. Give these films a try and you wont be disappointed, fail to do so and you may be disemboweled..."

Black Mass Full Moon Cut Samurai

asugar2 | Seattle USA | 07/12/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"from NIPPON CINEMA:

Taking some time to catch up on releases. US distributor AnimEigo will be releasing a Sleepy Eyes of Death box set in July which consists of the first 4 films of the classic 12-part series starring Raizo Ichikawa as a half-breed swordsman and master of the Full Moon Cut. Sleepy Eyes Of Death Collector's Set Vol. 1 includes "The Chinese Jade", "Sword of Adventure", "Circle Killing", and "Sword of Seduction".



In The Chinese Jade (Nemuri Kyoshiro: Sappôchô, 1963), Kyoshiro makes quick work of a group of ambushers, convincing their master Lord Maeda that this is a man that could be useful for his own purposes. Maeda sends his ward Chisa to seduce Kyoshiro in an attempt to convince him to attack a man who has evidence linking Maeda to an illegal smuggling ring. Blinded by love, Kyoshiro is eventually forced to face off against criminals and a Shorenji boxing master who's obsessed with finding out if his technique can beat the Full Moon Cut. [Watch trailer]



In Sword of Adventure (Nemuri Kyoshiro: Shôbu, 1964), Kyoshiro is tasked with protecting the financial adviser of the Shogunate after he cuts off the allowance of the Shogun's spoiled, rebellious daughter. For revenge--not to mention her own perverse whims--Princess Taka drugs Kyoshiro and attempts to have him kidnapped. Kyoshiro is eventually challenged by various enemies looking to defeat his Full Moon Cut, leading to a final battle in which he takes them all on.



In Circle Killing (Nemuri Kyoshiro: Engetsu Giri, 1964), Kyoshiro shows off his skills by slicing the clothes off a female opponent before running afoul of the Shogun's illegitimate son and an obsessive sword collector.



In Sword of Seduction (Nemuri Kyoshiro: Onna Jyôken, 1964), Kyoshiro gets caught up in a plot to kill an innocent girl who's posing as a washerwoman. After enlisting the help of a few unlikely allies, he must stop the fanatical mob that wants her dead before it's too late.



Region 1, NTSC, anamorphic widescreen, 4 discs. Japanese audio with selectable English subtitles. Features include audio commentary (Ric Meyers and Jeff Rovin), program notes, cast/crew info, stills gallery, and trailers. Also included: collector's booklet.

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Anticipation

John P. Marsh | North Las Vegas | 07/20/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I own the laser disc versions of episodes 1-4 from Animeigo so am eagerly awaiting the price going down to 'upgrade' my collection of these great films into DVD format. Raizo's character in this series just doesn't operate with a consistently moral deck - he is erratic (and thus the films are always surprising. Great character.) The middle period of these "Son of Black Mass" films (ep 5-8) have better production values than these four and the series gets more psychedelically baroque as it moves on (not to detriment.) I find myself not really responding fully to the series (which I watch repeatedly) until episode three. The bad princess in film three is great, and the somewhat slower/dark (by that I mean not very bright prints) episodes 1 & 2 are left behind. From this point on the series becomes consistently exceptional, albeit a bit episodic with arbitrary plotting at times. The Black Mass films have replaced the Lone Wolf and Cub flics (the six films) as my favorite all-time chambarra fix."

Kyoshiro sama!!

S. E. Hermo | Sydney, Australia. | 08/31/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is what you will hear a lot in this series. Mostly by women who either hate or love Nemuri Kyoshiro. Visually, these films don't look like they are pushing close to 50 years old. The image is beautiful. The sound also gets top marks. There is no English language track for these films, and I praise AnimEigo for not including it, if there ever was an English track. The sub-titles are glorious. If AnimEigo is known for anything other than their anime, it must be for their sub-titles. They are a joy to read, and produce quite a bit of chuckles and laughter. I have been waiting for this series to come out on DVD for over 10 years now. I really thought I would never see it. As usual, Animeigo also includes a booklet with a detailed history of the film, and its star, Ichikawa Raizo. Anyone who loves Japanese Cinema or Samurai films must get this box set. Please try some of the other films by AnimEigo, especially "Lone Wolf and Cub" and "Zatoichi", you will not be sorry."